When I graduated from high school, I wanted to work to earn money. I didn’t want to go to college. I eventually came to Goodwill Industries of Central Iowa (Des Moines) to receive support in getting a job. I wanted someone to check up on me and see if I had any problems.
Category: My Story
My Story: Archie Gibbs
My life journey is as long as the yellow brick road. I left home at the age of 12 to go to foster care when my mother's boyfriend abused me and my seven brothers and sisters. I lost hearing in my left ear and I am partially deaf in my right ear. Living in and out of foster care taught me a lot and showed me a lot of responsibility.
My Story: Guerline Guerrier
I worked for twenty years in my family’s restaurant in Haiti, where I am born. After the earthquake in 2010, I and my two children were part of the humanitarian sponsorship program instituted by the Canadian government. Upon my arrival, I was warmly welcomed, but I then had to wait for months for my work
My Story: Diane Duquette
I was on welfare for a long time, but had always hoped to return to work. I began looking but had no success due to my age and prolonged inactivity. It was through my agent at Emploi-Québec that I heard about Goodwill Renaissance Montreal in Quebec.
My Story: Tony Murray
After my accident, I was unable to work for several years. In November 2012, I felt like it was time for me to go back to work, so I came back to Goodwill to see if I could get a job. The agency hired me to be a cashier in one of the Goodwill retail stores, and a couple of months later, I was employed at the Barksdale Air Force Base Commissary as a shelf stocker.
My Story: Steven Ikehara
After my stroke I lost a lot of confidence because you lose the ability to do a lot of things you were able to do before. Working at Goodwill has been good for my recovery. I have improved my physical abilities like walking and using my right hand. I hope to continue my recover and look forward to one day being able to work without my disability being a factor.
My Story: Nick Marich
I injured my back on September 19, 1995. I was a heavy equipment mechanic, and I was put out of work because I couldn’t do that type of work anymore. From that point, I got hooked up with an outfit called Rehab Services, a place that helps people with disabilities find employment. I went down and talked to this woman, and she basically hooked me up with Goodwill Industries Vocational Enterprises here in Duluth, MN. I currently work in the store.
My Story: Samuel Morales
After successfully serving in the U.S. Army for 21 years, I retired and was ready for a second career. I had experience in Medical Supply Logistics; however, I found myself leaving the military without a degree or certification, and wondering if I would be able to find a job. My military experience unfortunately did not
My Story: Seth Greenwood
For the first 20 years of my life, I made a series of bad choices. I was a father at the age of 14 years old. I was incarcerated several times. It was a continuous cycle until the age of 20. At that point I was incarcerated for six years (until June 2010). During my
My Story: Christcell Grant
Coming into Goodwill, my life was kind of miserable. I was overcoming a lot of distractions as far as getting to work and staying on the job. I needed a whole lot of things done with my health. Those were the challenges I faced, a lot of addiction with alcohol and drugs. I was getting a
My Story: Cherise Turner
Goodwill helped me get out of the Welfare to Work program and become self-sufficient by helping me train and providing the tools needed to apply for and obtain a job. Over the past several years Goodwill has taught me work ethic and gave me opportunities to grow by allowing me to attend seminars, help out
